NFC East Wrapup: Eagles Continue to Soar, Cowboys Rebound, Giants Fall

The Philadelphia Eagles remain perfect, while the New York Giants continue to slide down the tubes. Here is the latest wrap-up from the NFC East Week 4 action.

Eagles 34, Commanders 31 (OT)

The Philadelphia Eagles remained perfect on the season by defeating the Washington Commanders in overtime, 34-31.

In an offensive shootout, the Eagles racked up 415 yards and rallied from a 17-7 deficit in the second quarter. Quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 34. 

Wide receiver A.J. Brown had a huge game, catching nine passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Kicker Jake Elliott drilled four field goals, including the game-winner from 54 yards out.

It was a valiant effort by the Commanders, who kept the game close throughout and scored a last-second touchdown to force overtime. Despite taking five sacks, Quarterback Sam Howell threw for 290 yards and a touchdown while adding 40 rushing yards. 

Terry McLaurin was Washington’s leading receiver, catching eight passes for 86 yards, while fellow receiver Jahan Dotson tied the game by catching a 10-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining on the clock in regulation.

Both teams scored rushing touchdowns on their opening possessions, with Curtis Samuel and D’Andre Swift each finding the end zone. On Washington’s second possession, they drove to Philadelphia’s 1-yard line in just six plays; on the seventh play, running back Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled into the end zone, but McLaurin quickly recovered the loose ball for a touchdown.

After the next three drives ended in punts, the Commanders moved 65 yards in 11 plays to go up by 10 on Joey Slye’s 27-yard field goal. But the Eagles needed just one minute and 39 seconds to set up Elliott’s 41-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to a touchdown at halftime.

Philadelphia opened the second half with a 47-yard field goal by Elliott, then forced Washington to punt. Four plays later, the Eagles took the lead when Hurts launched a 59-yard bomb to Brown, and a roughing the passer penalty on Washington lineman Montez Sweat allowed the Eagles to successfully tack on a two-point conversion, courtesy of Kenneth Gainwell’s 1-yard run.

Early in the 4th quarter, Elliott kicked his third field goal to put Philadelphia up by seven. But the Commanders responded by tying the game, moving 75 yards in 11 plays; Robinson Jr.’s 15-yard touchdown run finished the drive.

Both teams punted on their ensuing possessions, and the Eagles eventually moved the ball into Washington territory at the two-minute warning. With one minute and 43 seconds left, Hurts launched another deep ball to Brown, who hauled it in for a go-ahead, 28-yard touchdown. With Philadelphia’s strong defense, the lead appeared to be safe.

But the Commanders showed no quit and strung together a 10-play, 64-yard touchdown drive, featuring a 16-yard reception by Dyami Brown on 4th and 2. An 11-yard catch by McLaurin gave Washington the ball at the Philadelphia 10-yard line with five seconds remaining. 

Howell’s pass to Curtis Samuel on 1st and Goal fell incomplete, but one second remained on the clock to give the Commanders another chance. On 2nd and Goal, Howell fired a 10-yard strike to Dotson in the end zone, dramatically tying the game and forcing overtime after Slye’s successful PAT.

Washington won the coin toss but was forced to punt, as a deep pass to McLaurin was ruled incomplete after it was determined that he caught the ball out of bounds. Philadelphia’s offense capitalized by driving 23 yards in 10 plays, winning the game on Elliott’s 54-yard field goal, his fourth of the day.

Cowboys 38, Patriots 3

The Dallas Cowboys dominated the New England Patriots on both sides of the ball in a 38-3 onslaught.

Dallas’ defense continued to look like their fabled “Doomsday Defense,” forcing three turnovers and scoring 14 points while holding New England to just a field goal. Meanwhile, the offense totaled 377 yards and had a relatively stress-free game.

Quarterback Dak Prescott was very efficient, completing 28-of-34 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown. His top target was tight end Jake Ferguson, who caught seven passes for 77 yards.

It was a nightmare game for Patriots QB Mac Jones, who completed just 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards, was intercepted twice, and lost a fumble. One of his interceptions, as well as the fumble, were returned for touchdowns.

Dallas opened the game with a drive to the Patriots’ 1-yard line but ultimately had to settle for Brandon Aubrey’s 23-yard field goal. New England responded in kind, as a 42-yard completion to Demario Douglas set up Chad Ryland’s 29-yard field goal. However, that would be New England’s only scoring drive of the day.

From there, the Cowboys completely took over the game. They moved 75 yards in 10 plays, ending with Prescott’s 20-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb. The Patriots turned the ball over on downs on their next drive; their defense quickly forced a three-and-out to get the offense back on the field, but at their own 8-yard line, Jones lost a fumble while being sacked, giving Leighton Vander Esch an easy scoop-and-score. Even the PAT went Dallas’ way; punter Bryan Anger botched the hold but salvaged the play with a successful two-point conversion pass to Chauncey Golston.

The gap would grow even wider before halftime. New England went three-and-out on their next drive, and Dallas tacked on three more points with Aubrey’s second field goal. 

The Patriots then appeared to have a good drive going, entering Dallas territory at the two-minute warning. But Jones threw an ill-advised pass to Kendrick Bourne that was intercepted by DaRon Bland, who returned it 54 yards for a touchdown to put the Cowboys up 28-3 at halftime.

The second half was generally uneventful, as the Cowboys remained in total control. Jones threw his second interception of the game to Bland to start the half, which Dallas exchanged for Aubrey’s third field goal. Later in the fourth quarter, the Cowboys concluded the scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run by Hunter Luepke. 

By this time, Jones was removed from the game in favor of Bailey Zappe, who would lead New England to the Dallas 26-yard line on their final drive, only for Ryland to miss a 52-yard field goal attempt. Dallas then ran out the remaining four minutes, securing the Patriots’ most lopsided defeat of Bill Belichick’s 24-year tenure with the team (a 35-point margin, surpassing a 31-0 loss to the Buffalo Bills in 2003).

Seattle 24, Giants 3

It was a total disaster on Monday Night Football for the New York Giants, who were shut down by the Seattle Seahawks, 24-3 at MetLife Stadium.

Playing without Saquon Barkley and Andrew Thomas for the second straight week and losing center John Michael Schmitz to injury during the game was a recipe for disaster. New York mustered only 248 yards of offense, while the shorthanded offensive line had a historically poor performance by allowing 11 sacks.

The defense allowed only 281 total yards and even temporarily knocked out Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith but allowed backup quarterback Drew Lock to lead a touchdown drive thanks to allowing a 51-yard reception to tight end Noah Fant. 

As for Seattle’s defense, rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon dominated the Giants’ offense by himself, racking up seven tackles (six solo), two sacks, two more tackles for losses, and a 97-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Giants quarterback Daniel Jones endured a nightmare game, sustaining ten sacks and losing a fumble behind the makeshift offensive line (wide receiver Parris Campbell took the other sack on a failed trick play). Jones led the team with 66 rushing yards and completed 27 of 34 passes for 203 yards, but could only lead the team to three points and threw two interceptions, including the pick-six to Witherspoon.

The Giants appeared to get off to an excellent start, as they began the game with a drive into Seattle territory. In the process, they picked up three first downs and were bolstered by a 12-yard reception by Wan’Dale Robinson on 3rd and 6. Later, the Giants would face 4th-and-1 at the Seattle 27-yard line and opted to go for it; unfortunately, Jones was stuffed for no gain on a QB sneak attempt, resulting in a turnover on downs.

On the Seahawks’ first possession, disaster nearly struck for the Giants right away. Seattle running back Kenneth Walker III was seemingly tackled for a loss by New York linebacker Bobby Okereke. However, the referees never blew the whistle (indicating the play was still live), and Walker, who never thought he was down, continued to run and scored a 73-yard touchdown.

Luckily for the Giants, a replay review showed that Walker’s elbow touched the ground when tackled by Okereke, and the score was negated. New York’s defense ultimately forced a three-and-out thanks to a sack by Kayvon Thibodeaux (his first sack of the year) but had to endure another scare when punt returner Eric Gray muffed the ensuing punt and teammate Nick McCloud alertly recovered it to maintain possession.

Both teams punted on their next drives, but the Giants would finally make a mistake they couldn’t negate. At his 15-yard line, Jones lost a fumble while being sacked by Mario Edwards Jr., and Jordyn Brooks recovered the ball for the Seahawks at the New York 7. Two plays later, Smith threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf, giving Seattle a 7-0 lead on the last play of the first quarter.

After the first two drives of the second quarter ended in punts, the Giants got on the scoreboard with a 12-play, 61-yard drive that started from their 2-yard line. The biggest play was a 22-yard completion to running back Matt Breida on 3rd-and-4, the first of two third downs New York would convert on the drive. Graham Gano kicked a 55-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

But the Seahawks struck right back with a 7-play, 75-yard touchdown drive led by Lock. On 3rd-and-10 at the Seattle 48, Lock completed a pass to tight end Noah Fant, who broke several tackles before finally being brought down at the Giants 1-yard line. Walker provided the finishing touch with a 1-yard run to extend the Seahawks’ lead to 14-3 at halftime.

The third quarter saw the Giants waste two opportunities to get back in the game. The first was on Seattle’s opening drive of the second half, with Smith back under center; New York’s defense forced a turnover on downs in the red zone on 4th and 1, but the offense immediately went three-and-out and punted the ball away.

The second came after Seattle kicker Jason Myers missed a 53-yard field goal attempt. New York’s offense finally made their first trip to the red zone and converted on a 4th and 1 when Jones scrambled for 10 yards to the Seahawks’ 6-yard line. But on 2nd and Goal from the Seattle 5, Jones’s pass intended for Parris Campbell was intercepted by Witherspoon at the 3-yard line, who scurried 97 yards the other way for a touchdown. The back-breaking pick-six extended the Seahawks’ lead to 21-3 and thoroughly demoralized the already reeling Giants.

With the game out of reach, the fourth quarter was generally uneventful. Jones would throw his second interception of the game to Quandre Diggs, who returned it 21 yards into Giants territory. This would set up a 34-yard field goal by Myers to conclude the scoring. Meanwhile, the Giants’ final possession ended on a turnover on downs, as Jones took two more sacks. 

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